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OCTOBER 2017 | 77 CF Sherway Gardens – South Expansion/Nordstrom RENDERING + ILLUSTRATION COURTESY DIALOG CF Sherway Gardens – South Expansion/Nordstrom by ROBIN BRUNET T he successful completion of the CF Sherway Gardens south expansion in the fall of 2017 isn't merely the end of an ambitious multi- phase retail shopping centre upgrade, which includes the opening of a new 140,000-square-foot, high-end Nordstrom fashion specialty store. Instead, it is the culmination of seven years of hard work on the part of owners Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited, architects Dialog, general contractor PCL Constructors Inc., as well as a separate design and construction team for the Nordstrom store, to transform an aging Etobicoke, Ontario shopping centre that first opened in 1971 into a dazzling shopping experience. "Our goal is to heighten the journey for our customers at every moment," said CF Sherway Gardens general manager Andy Traynor. "The new south wing expansion makes room for new best-in-class retailers, ultimately extending the mall's appeal." With 250,000 square feet of additional retail space, the south expansion is part of a multi-phase redevelopment: the $550-million project that Dialog began working on with Cadillac Fairview in 2010. "We've been involved in the redevelopment of Sherway; working to modernize the shopping centre to urbanize the overall shopping experience, including the north expansion, parkade, east end of former Sears, and now the south retail to accommodate the new Nordstrom," says Margaret Kubaczkowski. "And while each phase was distinct from the other, work on them was all interconnected. To take one of many examples, the old food court in the south mall had to be relocated during the early phase of the projects, as a part of the north expansion to allow for redevelopment of the south retail." The inaugural north expansion opened in September of 2015 with 50 new stores and an additional 210,000 square feet of retail space. The east phase opened in the spring of the following year with a 132,000-square-foot, three-level Saks Fifth Avenue as an anchor. CF Sherway's south phase involved the demolition of the shopping centre's former Sporting Life to accommodate a new Nordstrom that would, among many other features, boast spacious 13-foot ceilings. A new retail wing leading to Nordstrom would be created where smaller retailers and an outdated food court once resided. Kubaczkowski says the south redevelopment was a continuation of a design approach ratified by Dialog and Cadillac Fairview: "We outfitted retail and common spaces with two-storey- high storefront windows and used other methods to bring natural light into the heart of the mall. We also reworked finishes to make them cleaner and brighter as well as improved sightlines wherever possible." The latter meant that along with the removal of the old food court, stairways, escalators and an elevator were dismantled to provide unobstructed views of the new Nordstrom from centre court. New flooring, ceilings, lighting and washrooms all had to be installed while large portions of the mall stayed open for business, which meant considerable night work and an elaborate blockading of spaces to ensure that shoppers never strayed into work areas. Plus, Dialog and Montreal-based interior designer Gervais Harding were mindful to respect the mall's ubiquitous French limestone finishes (which provided an esthetic consistency throughout all wings) – to the point where the same seam that was mined for the halls in 1970 was sourced again. Many retail entrances became showcases in their own right, including that of the relocated Sporting Life. As for the new food court, it was re-imagined to include long tables for group seating, outfitted with Wi-Fi and adorned with custom light features manufactured in New York City that, like Saks, are visible from the nearby highways. Although Nordstrom owning its own space meant that it retained its own architect and builder (design consultancy CallisonRTKL and EllisDon Corporation, respectively), collaboration between the two teams of builders and designers was necessary in several instances, beginning with the creation of the Nordstrom parkade. The collaboration became even more necessary in relation to preserving the shopping centre's signature Teflon- coated, stretch-fabric tent-like roof. Essentially, an elaborate bracing for the roof was created that kept it in place, while part of the existing mall was demolished to accommodate a portion of the new Nordstrom; the bracing was dismantled piece by piece as the structure of Nordstrom evolved. "Co-ordinating the removal of the bracing with the construction of Nordstrom was a feat of scheduling and collaboration," says Kubaczkowski. As had been the case with the earlier phases, site constraints were an ongoing issue: although the shopping centre was surrounded by ample parking, that parking was designated strictly for shoppers since only small portions of the interior were closed for business at a time. "Working within the property lines was a major consideration, but with careful co-ordination with the client, we were able to create greater density as a part of the shopping centre revitalization," says Kubaczkowski. Cadillac Fairview has gone on record as stating that renovation – even of the magnitude of CF Sherway Gardens – is an obligation rather than an option, and when the company announced the completion of the mall's expansion in August of 2017, Finley McEwen, senior VP of development, said: "We started with interior enhancements, introduced new lighting and public amenities, and are now providing a range of upscale dining options and new digital offerings – delivering on our commitment to providing guests with an immersive, premium shopping environment." A LOCATION 25 The West Mall, Etobicoke, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited / Nordstrom ARCHITECTS DIALOG (mall expansion) CallisonRTKL (Nordstrom) GENERAL CONTRACTORS PCL Constructors Inc. (mall expansion) EllisDon Corporation (Nordstrom) STRUCTURAL CONSULTANTS RJC Engineers (Nordstrom parkade) exp (South Retail) Dialog (mall expansion) Coffman Engineers (Nordstrom) MECHANICAL CONSULTANTS TMP Consulting Engineers (mall expansion) PSF Mechanical, Inc. (Nordstrom) ELECTRICAL CONSULTANTS Hammerschlag + Joffe Inc. (mall expansion) Hargis Engineers (Nordstrom) INTERIOR DESIGN CONSULTANTS GH+A (mall expansion) CallistonRTKL (Nordstrom) TOTAL SIZE 250,000 square feet (additional retail space) TOTAL COST (FOR ENTIRE MALL EXPANSION) $550 million

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